Life's A Beautiful Thing
by DolbyDigital
Summary: "Have you ever been in love? Horrible isn't it? It makes you so vulnerable. It opens your chest and it opens up your heart and it means that someone can get inside you and mess you up." - Neil Gaiman Individual pairings and warnings inside. Title taken from a Marilyn Monroe quote.
1. Power - AlbusGellert

Albus/Gellert - Power

* * *

Flashes of red and green light bounced off well-timed shielding charms as they each tried to best the other in a duel of equal match. They had been in this situation before and it had ended in his opponent leaving without waiting to finish; this time – _this time_ – he vowed that it would be different. He would see this man beg at his feet and he would show no mercy; he would fight ruthlessly and use every ounce of his pent up rage to turn the battle to his favour.

In the end, that was his downfall.

His wand was torn from his grasp, flying in a graceful arc straight to the awaiting hand of the man standing across from him. He fell to his knees in utter defeat, head bowed, waiting for the end to come. The cool, wet grass soaked the knees of his trousers, and still nothing happened. It was only when he began to lose feeling in his legs that he dared to look up and into the bright blue eyes of his opponent.

The man stared down at him, exuding power from his very being, his face the epitome of calm and controlled aggression. In that moment he honestly expects to die; there is no reason for this man to spare his life, what they had together had long since passed, but still... _nothing._

It seemed as if they would be left in this abandoned field locked in place for all eternity – there was no one left who was willing to jump in between them and force them apart. The moment seemed to last for an eternity, neither daring to move; one wandless and dangerous, the other armed and vulnerable.

For a brief moment, he thought they were going to stay frozen like this whilst the world moved on around them; two statues in an ever changing world. But finally – _finally _– his opponent moved, his wand flicking in an action that was surely meant to kill him.

Instead, he was left to rot in a prison of his own making.


	2. Watch - FabianMolly

Molly/Fabian - Watch

**Warinings: Implied Incest**

* * *

He watched her walk down the aisle on their father's arm, telling himself that the tightening in his chest was simply due to the fact that his only sister was getting married. He was happy for her; she was getting everything she ever really wanted from her life – a loving husband, a devoted family – but there was no longer any place for him.

He would become the childhood memories from long ago, only really thought of in times of deep nostalgia; she would make her own family and they would create their own memories. He would stop by occasionally, but eventually he would be phased out of their lives one way or another. They were living in the middle of a war; no peace could last forever, and sooner or later he was going to have to grow up and leave behind this childish fantasy just as his sister had done.

For now, he sat and watched her – this could be the last time he would see her truly happy; this could be the last time he would see her _alive_.


	3. Sun - GinnyLuna

**For Jess (Autumn Midnights) - I hope you like it, and I will be trying to get the other thing up before the end of the week.**

Ginny/Luna - Sun

* * *

She watched her walk in the shallow water of the murky pond, sunlight reflecting off the water and causing her dirty blonde hair to shine brightly. The bottom of her long skirt was getting wet, the water rising up the fabric and dampening the material up to her knees, but she seemed completely oblivious in her search for her new favourite strange creature of the day.

She sat on the grass, tipping her head back to bask in the sunlight, but keeping her eyes on the beautiful girl in the pond. This was how their relationship usually worked – very little communication, but the important things were conveyed through thoughtful gestures and meaningful looks.

It wasn't something that would last – they both knew that; even if some people doubted the other girl's intelligence upon occasion, she had been sorted into Ravenclaw for a reason – but for now it was all either of them could possibly want.

A war had just finished; they could finally catch up on the childhood that they had missed. The time for responsibility would come later; a time when they would get jobs and have their own families, not wading through a pond searching for Wrackspurts or Nargles or whatever it was today.

Right now they were happy to waste away their time doing nothing together, and it was perfect.


	4. Starting Over - JamesLily

**For Elizabeth (Ebaz) - I'm still working on the reviews (slowly) and I will get them done eventually (I promise) and I'm really sorry that I didn't finish them in time. Here's some James/Lily for you. I hope you like it.**

James/Lily - Starting Over

* * *

It takes him nearly seven years of elaborate scheming and constant rejection to finally win her over.

The day it happens is anything but remarkable. He's alone running late for his first class, the rest of the Marauders having gone on ahead at his insistence – with much grumbling from Sirius. He literally crashes into her as he charges through the corridors, completely oblivious to his surroundings; if the dazed look on her face is anything to go by, she wasn't all there either.

He bends down to help her pick up the spilled contents of her satchel, waving his wand in a careless gesture to remove the spattered ink from her belongings.

"That was my last ink bottle," she hisses, sending an irritated scowl his way. He thinks she's maybe over-reacting a little; the next Hogsmeade weekend is coming up and, anyway, it's not like this was entirely his fault. He considers saying this aloud – even gets as far as opening his mouth to do so – but thinks better of it at the last minute.

"I'll buy you a new one," he says instead, hoping she doesn't notice the slight hesitation and question him about it; he really is running late. "I'll meet you by the front gates."

"Okay."

"Now come on Evans; you're being completely unreasonable, I just... Wait... What?" He stares at her in complete disbelief, hands frozen half way to picking up a large leather-bound textbook.

"Okay," she repeated slowly, "I'll meet you at eleven. You'll buy me some ink. Then we can go to the Three Broomsticks. Like a date." She picks up the rest of her things and walks purposefully down the corridor, leaving him still crouched on the floor arms outstretched. Almost as an afterthought she adds, "Don't be late, Potter," without even breaking stride, let alone turning around.

It takes him nearly seven years of elaborate scheming and constant rejection to finally win her over but when he finally does, he isn't entirely sure what happened.


End file.
